The Dreaded "G" Word

.......Come on ladies or maybe a few of the men out there...You know what I am talking about.  Something we all have to do but if you are like me D.R.E.A.D it....GROCERY SHOPPING!


We have to eat so it's not like I can't buy groceries and since I don't live on a farm to raise my own meat, grow my own vegetables, milk my own cows, etc...the only option I have had is to go to the grocery store....And man, there is nothing more than I despise then going to the grocery store.  You see I am not your typical women, quite honestly I don't like shopping for anything....never have and I think it is safe to say, never will.  If I have to go to a mall...well I would rather poke my eyes out with needles.  If I am shopping out of necessity, I want to get in, get out and move on...It's not like I am anti social or anything, I just don't like the crowds, the smells, peoples behaviors (probably including mine) Ok, maybe that does sound a little anti social but really I am not....it just gives me anxiety.  And the only time I have gone shopping when there is very minimal people is either super late at night or early early morning when quite frankly I would rather be sleeping.  I am the type of customer that online shopping is made for and let me tell you, I am taking full advantage of what is now available on the world wide web.

Of late, I have been grocery shopping online and as long as this option continues to be available, you can bet on me, that I will be using it EVERY.WEEK.  After your first order on Fred Meyer Clicklist (or Kroger in some areas) the additional orders are easy.peasy.  Even my first order was pretty easy but it just took at little bit longer to navigate a bit.  Now each time I order it knows what I have ordered in the past so it is readily available on "My Recent Purchases".  It literally takes me max all of 10 minutes to order my groceries and no, I do not order the same things every week although of course I get eggs, bread, milk and such on a weekly basis but all the other stuff changes.  Once ordered you can select same day pick up if available (depends on when you submit your order) or next day.  I typically place my order on Friday and pick up first thing Saturday morning.  If you do next day pick up, you can make changes to your order up until midnight.

When all is said and done, it probably takes me longer to drive to the nearest Fred Meyers than to order and pick up.  Once you go to pick up , you drive up to a little speaker box, select call, it rings to the staff in the pick up area, and they tell you what bay to pull in to.  Once in the pick up bay, they come out, go over your order, advise of any out of stock or substitutions which you can request no substitutes but I have found on the few items that have been substituted, they are a better product but they match the price and then you pay.  You can use paper coupons and rewards coupons that you download.


If you are on the fence about online grocery shopping don't be.  Even the meat and produce that I have selected has been on par.  They have an area where you can put specific notes in , for example, if you want your bananas to be green rather than totally ripe.

I can't say enough positive things about the service.  I have yet to have a bad experience and hope I don't but even if I do, the worse would be what....they left an item off the list?

Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

**This is not a paid endorsement, although it should be.  This is based on my own personal experience with this service.

Over"Whelmart"

I don't usually shop at Walmart because it is so overwhelming...

Too many people...
Too big of a store...
Too many selections...
Too bright...
Sometimes too dirty...
Too many check out lanes (and over half not even open)...
Too many carts...

I could go on....

I pull into the parking lot and many times I end up making a quick detour out  the next entry/exit.  The number of cars in the parking lot alone give me anxiety because I know for each car there is probably at *least* two people.

I am not anti social, not afraid of big crowds nor do I have a medical social anxiety disorder....I just don't *like* Walmart.  Plain and simple.

But....

Yes, there is always a but...

I think I am going to have to get over *it* because they take other stores coupons now!  Did you hear?  Walmart takes other stores coupons.  Follow the link to get all the details.  I know they updated their coupon policy about a month ago but apparently I am a little slow.  Actually, I have known about it since the update but just didn't have a post to share it in until now.

Albertsons used to do that therefore that was always my "go to" store but now that Walmart is picking up the slack...being the frugal person that I am, I am going to have to bite the bullet and shop there...Maybe not all the time but at least some of the time.

I do think however I am going to shop during off hours, like my daughter does.  Seriously, she shopped at Walmart a few nights ago in the middle of the night.  I know a bit crazy.  Kinda funny too that she works at another competitor who will remain anonymous but shops there.  And did I mention my frugalness has rubbed off on her and then some?  I would even say she has me beat most of the time. 

She came home one night after a trip to Walgreen's where she bought (8) containers of the Physicians Formula foundation (originally I think $13.99 each) and walked out spending $1.83 if I recall.  She had BOGO coupons, plus rewards, plus regular coupons..I was astounded.  She did a similar thing for a bunch of cleaning products that she now has on hand at her new apartment.  Hope they are being put to good use because when she was at home, I think she was *allergic* to cleaning products. 

I did find a pair of shoes at Walmart today that I will brag about because they were only $10.00!  Figured you can't beat that.  Hopefully, they will hold up for awhile.  I am not the typical woman in the sense that I love shoes.  I don't.  I have many pairs but yet I still gravitate to a select few pairs.  Namely black and comfortable.

Cute?  I know nothing to write home about.  I like them though and since I am wearing them that is all that matters, right? 


Where do you tend to shop the most? 

Have you found some good deals lately that you want to brag about?

Do you use coupons?   How much money do you save on average?

Dreaming of Beggin' Strips ?

Remember this commercial?  Do they play it on channels in your area?  This is actually one of the newer versions. 

There is another one that I found but it didn't have a share link.  The one that has the lady with the teased BIG blond hair.  Must have been from the 80's.  (not hating on the 80's I grew up in the 80's too just an honest observation)

So my point of this particular post is actually quite funny, to me at least.  I was up late last night writing blogs (not this one of course) and upon turning into bed was thinking about "saving bacon" i.e. money.  This commercial was actually in my dream last night and the only thing I can link it to is "saving bacon".  

(Sidenote about the whole saving bacon, our 3yr old son I think, thinks, my husband and I really make bacon for a living.  When he asks where we are going, when we leave for work, we have always said, going to make the bacon...lol) 

I am like a hound, sniffing my way through the stores for the best deals, cutting coupons, comparison shopping, etc my way to savings.  I do not particular like shopping but grocery shopping is different for me these days.  There are obviously other things I would rather do than grocery shop but my family needs to eat so...

Grocery shopping now is like a game.  Each week I get more competitive.  How much money can I save this week? 

Kinda like this dog in search of the elusive beggin strips....






I took my MIL shopping this past week and found myself pointing out several things for her to buy at this particular store (Grocery Outlet) vs what not too buy because I knew she could get it on sale at another store for much less.  I was on a roll.  I think she ended up saving $50+ dollars on the trip and she didn't buy anything that she wouldn't normally buy (which is the key); she just bought it for less. 

I went to Safeway this past grocery trip and they do tend to be more expensive than other stores in our area but overall, I did pretty well.  I spent $97.48 for the week.  And I think the only reason why I probably spent a little bit more than I typically do is because I bought my produce at Safeway which I usually go to the Growers Outlet to purchase. 

My menu for the week is not too shabby:

Sunday: Cheese Quesidillas & SW Corn
Monday: Bean & Cheese Burritos, Green Beans
Tuesday:  Baked Pork Chops, Macaroni & Cheese, Steamed Broccoli and Cauliflower
Wednesday: Fajitas & Tortilla Chips/Salsa
Thursday: Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes and Mixed Veggies
Friday:  Chili & Cornbread
Saturday: Grilled Cheese Sandwich & Tomato Soup

 (As you can tell our family likes Mexican inspired meals plus this week because of Superbowl, a lot of the ingredients have been on sale for these meals. Win-Win situation)

I also bought several snack items, milk products and lunch items too!



Beggin..........



Do you ever have really weird dreams and think, "What the heck?" "Where did that come from?"